RIYADH: Qatar is set to attract foreign asset managers as its sovereign wealth fund dedicates up to 1 billion Qatari riyals ($275 million) toward a market-making program.
The program will promote price discovery and diversify the country’s capital markets, reported the Qatar Investment Authority on Tuesday.
In turn, this move will enable the market to pull in more foreign asset managers to invest in the country’s local shares.
Additionally, it will boost liquidity on the Qatar Stock Exchange, noted the $445 billion sovereign wealth fund.
Set to operate over the next five years, the market-making program will cover 90 percent of the size of the market capitalization listed on the local bourse.
Saudi-Qatari trade ties
Qatari Minister of Commerce and Industry Mohammed Al-Thani met with Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih on Tuesday.
In the meeting, Al-Thani highlighted how its economic policies effectively encouraged investors and businessmen to invest in the country.
Al-Falih flew to Doha to participate in the three-day Qatar Economic Forum.
In January, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund increased its stake in Credit Suisse to just under 7 percent, becoming the Swiss bank’s second-largest shareholder after Saudi National Bank, indicating that its Gulf investor base is growing in importance.
Cleantech leadership
The country is also set to drive the growth of the clean technology industry in the Middle East and Africa as its favorable policies and advanced technological infrastructure present investment opportunities worth $75 billion, revealed an industry report earlier this month.
Qatar’s Investment Promotion Agency stated that the country’s sustainability initiatives, abundant natural resources, and an early-mover advantage in green hydrogen production made the gas-rich nation an emerging leader in the cleantech industry.
“With its abundant solar energy resources, Qatar is well positioned to take advantage of hydrogen production, which is essential to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors,” the report said.
The report pointed out that the support of government policies in Qatar and the Middle East and North Africa region has a vital role in the growth of the cleantech sector.
Qatar hopes to attract foreign asset managers through its new market-making program
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Qatar hopes to attract foreign asset managers through its new market-making program
Saudi stock market opens its doors to foreign investors
RIYADH: Foreigners will be able to invest directly in Saudi Arabia’s stock market from Feb. 1, the Kingdom’s Capital Market Authority has announced.
The CMA’s board has approved a regulatory change which will mean the capital market, across all its segments, will be accessible to investors from around the world for direct participation.
According to a statement, the approved amendments aim to expand and diversify the base of those permitted to invest in the Main Market, thereby supporting investment inflows and enhancing market liquidity.
International investors' ownership in the capital market exceeded SR590 billion ($157.32 billion) by the end of the third quarter of 2025, while international investments in the main market reached approximately SR519 billion during the same period — an annual rise of 4 percent.
“The approved amendments eliminated the concept of the Qualified Foreign Investor in the Main Market, thereby allowing all categories of foreign investors to access the market without the need to meet qualification requirements,” said the CMA, adding: “It also eliminated the regulatory framework governing swap agreements, which were used as an option to enable non-resident foreign investors to obtain economic benefits only from listed securities, and the allowance of direct investment in shares listed on the Main Market.”
In July, the CMA approved measures to simplify the procedures for opening and operating investment accounts for certain categories of investors. These included natural foreign investors residing in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, as well as those who had previously resided in the Kingdom or in any GCC country.
This step represented an interim phase leading up to the decision announced today, with the aim of increasing confidence among participants in the Main Market and supporting the local economy.
Saudi Arabia, which is more than halfway through an economic plan to reduce its dependence on oil, has been trying to attract foreign investors, including by establishing exchange-traded funds with Asian partners in Japan and Hong Kong.
